Looking Past The Façade
by Nadja Lee
Summary: Logan has always had his doubts about Scott. Now he finds out the truth…….but can he handle the truth?


Looking Past The Façade              

By Nadja Lee                                     02/05/02

English is not my native language. Please forgive me my mistakes.

Disclaimer: "X-men" and all the characters here belong to Marvel, 20 Century Fox and I intend no infringement, this is a piece of amateur fan fiction, and I make no money of it.

Only the original idea contained within this work is the property of the author. Please do not copy this story to any website or archive without permission of the author.

Timeline: Set in the movie universe. After the movie

Universe: Set in the movie universe; NOT the book which goes with it.

Romance: Logan/Rogue, Scott/Jean

Summary: Logan has always had his doubts about Scott. Now he finds out the truth…….but can he handle the truth?

Archiving: Want, ASK, take,  have.

Feedback: Yes, please. My e-mail address is nadjalee2000@hotmail.com 

Rating: R

Warning: This story may contain disturbing elements.

Sequel/series: Wasn't planning on it.

Dedicated to Sorcieré who 'kindly' left me with this plotbunny. If I didn't love you so much I'll have to kill you, sweetheart *LOL* 

Part 1:

"Scooter, we need to talk," Logan said as he entered the men's dressing room behind the Danger Room.

"Yes?" Scott turned around to face him, naked. While Scott didn't look uncomfortable in the least Logan stopped in his tracks. It wasn't that Scott's body was ugly; in fact it was perfect; too perfect. Like a freakin' Ken doll. It was kind of disturbing to look at. Before he turned away Logan registered that Scott's skin seemed very white, very fine. Like you only find on newborn babies. How…….odd.

"Hmm…….it can wait," he got out. It was as if his words reminded Scott of something. He turned around and quickly dressed in underwear and pants before he turned towards Logan again.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Well……" he didn't know how to say it. It felt wrong to say, to ask for. They were hardly friends and Logan has done his to make sure they would never become friends. "Rogue wants you to give her away when I marry her this Sunday since her dad isn't comin'," he said all in a rush. Scott's expression didn't change at all.

"Okay," he simply agreed. 

Logan looked disbelievingly at him. Not only had Scott surprised him with his immediate accept of his and Rogue's marriage, when he had been sure that Rogue was 18 and therefore legal, but still…….

"What?"  
"I said, okay. I'll be honoured to give her away," Scott repeated carefully as to a child.

"Why would you do that?" 

When his words were out Logan wondered where they had come from but he was still too surprised to really believe what he was hearing.

"Because you asked me to," Scott said simply.

"But………you hate me," Logan protected, knowing how stupid this sounded. He had promised Rogue Scott would be there and had been prepared to twist his arm around to get him to do it. This was…..strange to say the least. 

"I don't hate you. You're an X-man now," Scott said as if that explained everything. 

"And that automatically makes me a good guy?" Logan asked, beginning to get curious. Scott had always stuck him as odd but before he had always just figured it was because he was such a stick in the mud; acting more like a robot than a human. Maybe there was more to this than that. Besides……since he had come back and Marie had agreed to marry him things had been very quiet, too quiet for his taste. In one word; he was bored. And since he apparently couldn't annoy Scott enough to get a rise out of him then digging into his past sounded like the most fun he could get right now. Not that it could be very interesting but still…..it beat being totally bored.

"Yes," he answer was quick, automatic, without thought. Logan got the strangest feeling that he knew Scott from somewhere. He had felt it before but now as Scott stood still like a soldier at attention; eyes front, hands behind his back, before Logan like he always did when people talked to him…….he was sure. He did know him from somewhere.

"Doesn't it bother you that I call you Scooter? Hit on Jeannie?" Okay the latter he hadn't done since he had begun dating Marie but still………

"Small minds, small……." Scott said with a grin. Whoa. Go back. What had happened there? Why had he suddenly answered with dry humour and sarcasm? What had he done differently? Of course. The way he had asked the questions……….this question had been about feelings……..he wondered…….

"Do you want to tell me what the square root of 234 is?"

"Fuck off, Logan," Scott said darkly but Logan detected a hint of fear in his voice as he quickly put his shirt on.

"What is the square root of 234?"

"15.2970584," this time the answer was automatic, toneless……… unresisting.

"Why did you answer me if you didn't want to?" Logan wondered out loud.

"Let it be, Logan," Scott said tiredly and tried to go past him. Logan grabbed hold of him.

"Stay."

Scott drew back from Logan and stood still before him. What the fuck……….

"Okay……..this is crazy," Logan mumbled and ran a hand through his hair as he walked around Scott who stood perfectly still, not even following him with his eyes.

"Let me get this straight…..you have to answer direct questions?" Logan asked. No reply. Okay……

"Do you have to answer direct questions?"

"Yes."

We're making progress, Logan thought darkly.

"Why?"

"You're an X-man."  
"That's not an answer," Logan protested. No reply. Logan sighed.

"Why do you have to do as I order?"

"It is my secondary programming," Scott replied, toneless, his voice dead and if he could have seen his eyes Logan was sure they were dead as well. This was creepy and disturbingly familiar.

"Name your programming."

"First programming: Protect professor Xavier at all costs. Protect Dr. Jean Grey, Ororo Monroe, Logan, Rogue, Robert Drake and Katherine Pryde. Protect the students at Xavier's Institute. Secondary programming: Obey direct orders from Professor Xavier, Dr. Grey, Ororo Monroe and Logan. Third programming: Self-destruct at the first sign of recapture or reprogramming. Fourth programming: Lead and protect the X-men and safeguard humans and mutants alike unless it contradict earlier programming."

That was why he had fought Magneto and his Brotherhood, Logan figured. They were mutants but had contradicted his first programming; they had placed Rogue and several of the others in danger. Logan felt a shiver run down his back. It sounded so…..cold and hard. The words were automatic…….strange……

"Why does Bobby……" Logan began but stopped. He had to think before he talked. Think.

"Why is protecting Robert, Rogue and Katherine one of your primary orders? They aren't X-men."  
"They soon will be," again the answer was short, mechanical….dead. 

"From when did you have to obey direct orders from me?"  
"Professor Xavier added that programming 6 months, 4 days, 12 hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds ago," came the answer.  
"After I returned," Logan said out loud. "When was protecting Rogue added to your program?" he asked curious despite himself, playing out a hunch.

"Professor Xavier added that programming 5 hours, 23 minutes and 45 seconds after Ororo and I saved you," Scott replied and the accuracy of his statements was beginning to really freak Logan out. 

"Just after we were brought to the mansion," Logan mumbled. So that was why Scott had been so protective of Rogue and been so against letting him go on the mission to save her.

Suddenly so many things made sense to him. So much which had seemed strange and odd.

"The day we first met I grabbed you. You didn't try to hit me, move away or looked mad but only looked at the Professor. Why?"

"I am not allowed to harm any being if my first programming is not damaged."  
"In short you were the only one in 'danger'," Logan said for him. Gods, this was sick. The Professor knew. He had done this……….or……

"Who are you?"

"I am Scott Summers, called Cyclops," he reached out his hand to him like he had the first time they met. Logan just looked at him in shock. Scott then withdrew his hand, no sign of anger at all.

"What are you?" Logan rephrased.

"I'm a hybrid, a human with an artificial brain," Scott explained.

"Were you born human?"  
"Yes."  
"So, you're not a mutant?" 

No reply. Oh, yeah, Logan thought.

"Are you a mutant by birth?"  
"No. All my powers were artificially made for the purpose to which I was created."  
"And that was?"  
"To hunt down and kill mutants."

Terminator move over, Logan thought shocked as he let all that sink in.

"The professor reprogrammed you?"  
"Yes. I was sent to kill him but some part of my human brain was still left untouched and the Professor was able to, with his telepathically powers, remake my programming."

"And use you," Logan said darkly. He knew what it felt like to be used. His dreams were still haunted by nightmares of his experimentation…..thinking of it…..

"I saw you. Where they gave me my metal skeleton and experimented on me. You were…….you were just a baby then," Logan said slowly as he tried to remember but the memories kept slipping away from him. The more he tried to remember it he quicker the images disappeared until they were completely gone.

"Most of my memory from before the Professor reprogrammed me has been erased but I confirm your statement," Scott said solemnly.

"Confirm……." Logan mumbled. "Are you even capable of human emotions?"  
"I don't understand," it wasn't a child's statement but a computer's.

"Can you love?"  
"It is not in my programming but I can learn from humans. That is how I've come to pass as one of you for so long," he explained.

"Sometimes when we talk I sense…something different about you. Like when you use humour or sarcasm. Are there moments where your human side is more dominate than your…. computer one?"

"Yes. It's rare as the programming is so strong but it does happen."

That was why Scott's calculations though always accurate was never so clearly computer calculated as just before, Logan figured out. 

"Is Jean like you?"  
"No, she's a mutant. I'm the only one of my kind; a prototype."

"She's just naturally distant then………..or doesn't like this deal," Logan wondered out loud. It made sense now. Jean was a cover for Xavier's secret weapon and what he could do. It was to make Scott look more human. The trouble was Scott wasn't entirely human and Logan doubted Jean could love him despite that.

There was silence for a long while.

"I have to go. Jean is waiting for me," Scott suddenly said and turned around, for the first time since Logan had stopped him his face looked alive.

"How come you could…."  
"….do something you hadn't asked me to? A safety feature. You weren't supposed to know so if you or Ororo who doesn't know either say a command and then never undo it the order will be overridden within two minutes if no new orders are forthcoming." 

"I……" Logan began but stopped. What should he say? Where to even begin?

"Don't. Don't pity me. This is my life. I don't feel sorry for myself. I'm not capable of it. So don't do it for me," Scott asked as he began to walk away. 

"Oh, and Logan?" he turned around again.  
"Yes?"  
"Don't say this to anyone?"  
There was fear and an edge of pleading in his voice. It was the human shinning through. The human in Scott knew that the more people who knew the more he could be used and exploited…..and the more isolated he would before. Logan smiled softly.

"I won't."

Scott smiled and nodded.

"Thanks."

Then he was gone.

So that was why Scott had never held a grunge against him, never expressed hate towards him, always was so controlled………….he was basically a human with a strong built in computer that tended to overtake control completely.

With people like Xavier around to exploit Scott so cruelly to their own ends…….their ideals and motives might be noble but Logan still disliked it. As soon as the wedding was over he was taking Rogue away from here……….and he'll take her friends and Scott with him. He would see them all safe. They were his family; his pack now and no one should ruin that. No way in Hell would he leave them in this sick place. 

He should have known better. Any dream was a nightmare and every promise was broken. He should have remembered that if something looked too good to be true……..it always was. 

The End 


End file.
